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A lost national ID in Saudi Arabia should be reported promptly, even when you believe the card may still be inside a hotel, mall, airport or vehicle. Delaying the report can increase the risk of misuse and may expose the cardholder to a late-reporting fine.
Saudi citizens can report the loss and request a replacement electronically through Absher. At the same time, they can continue searching at the location where the card may have disappeared. If ريتيرنلي | RETURN-LY is activated at a partner location, the platform may help organise that search, but it does not replace Absher, Civil Affairs or a police report when one is required.
This guide refers specifically to the Saudi National ID issued to citizens. A resident who loses an Iqama must follow the separate residence-permit procedures handled by the General Directorate of Passports. Absher lists the lost National ID replacement service as a service for Saudi citizens.
Begin with a brief and organised search. Check your wallet, bags, vehicle, clothing and the last counter where you presented the card. Review your movements in order rather than contacting several unrelated locations.
Once you are reasonably sure that the card is missing:
Saudi Civil Affairs instructions require missing civil-status documents to be reported within 15 days from the date of loss or damage.
Absher provides an electronic service that combines reporting the missing card with requesting a replacement. The new document can be delivered to the beneficiary’s registered national address without visiting a Civil Affairs office under the standard online process.
Follow these steps:
The service is available to citizens through Absher, and the official guide states that it operates electronically around the clock.
Before submitting the application, check that your account and documents meet the service conditions.
The official Absher guidance identifies requirements that include:
Review the information carefully before confirming the request. An incorrect loss date, location or photograph may delay processing or require further action.
A citizen must report the loss or damage of a National ID or Family Record within 15 days of the incident.
This does not mean that you should wait until the fifteenth day. Reporting immediately helps start the replacement process and reduces the time during which the missing document remains unaccounted for.
If you discover the card missing while travelling or shortly before an important appointment, submit the Absher report first and continue checking the venue at the same time.
A fine does not automatically apply to every first-time loss.
Under the amended Article 76 of the Saudi Civil Status Law:
The applicable amount therefore depends on whether this is the first or a repeated loss, whether the report was submitted on time and whether officially documented exceptional circumstances apply.
When theft is suspected, do not treat the situation as ordinary misplacement.
Report the missing card through Absher and obtain an official security report through the appropriate authority. Record where the theft may have happened, when you last saw the card and whether other items were taken with it.
An official record is particularly important because the Civil Status Law distinguishes officially proven theft, accidents, fire and disasters from ordinary loss when applying the listed penalties.
Do not confront anyone you suspect of carrying the card. Provide the relevant details to the competent authority and allow the official process to continue.
To ensure your request is processed instantly, you can successfully register your report by Submit Claim via this direct link: https://claims.return-ly.com/new-claim
A missing identity card contains information that should not be circulated publicly. Avoid posting a full photograph of the card or publishing the complete identification number on social media.
When contacting a venue, begin with non-sensitive identifying details:
Keep some details private so that you can confirm whether a person or employee has actually found your item.
If the National ID was inside a stolen wallet, protect the other contents separately. Block payment cards through the issuing banks and report any other missing documents through their correct official channels.
The replacement procedure remains the same, but the physical search depends on where the card disappeared.
Determine where you last presented or handled the card. It may have been left at a check-in counter, security area, lounge, restaurant, shop or seating area.
If it was lost inside the airport building, contact the airport’s lost-and-found office or the authority responsible for that area. If it was left inside an aircraft, contact the airline.
Provide the terminal, flight number, gate and approximate time. Do not assume that an airline is responsible for every document lost inside the airport.
Contact customer service or security and list the shops you visited in chronological order. Payment notifications and receipts may help establish the last place where the card was used.
Ask whether the mall has a central lost-and-found office rather than calling individual stores repeatedly.
Check the room safe, luggage, bedding and reception area. Give the hotel your room number, stay dates and the last place where the card was used.
The RETURN-LY hotel workflow is different from the general partner-location workflow. If the system is activated at a hotel, the employee records the found item, the system identifies the guest from the room information and an automatic notification is sent. The guest does not submit a lost-item report, and there is no general matching process in this hotel workflow.
Record the route, vehicle or trip number, boarding point, destination and approximate travel time. Contact the operator as soon as possible because the vehicle may move to another route or service location.
The transport operator may search within its network, but it cannot replace the National ID or complete the Civil Affairs procedure.
A Saudi citizen reaches the car park after shopping and discovers that the National ID is no longer inside the wallet.
The citizen checks the vehicle and shopping bags, then contacts mall security and provides the shops and payment times. Instead of waiting for the mall to complete the search, the citizen reports the loss through Absher and submits the replacement request.
If RETURN-LY were activated at that partner location, the citizen could register contact information and a description of the lost item. A mall employee would separately record the card if it were found, and RETURN-LY would contact the owner after the item was identified.
This is an illustrative scenario, not a documented incident or a claim that RETURN-LY is currently active in a particular mall.
If and when RETURN-LY is activated at a partner location, the owner can provide contact details and a description of the missing item, including its category, date of loss and an optional image.
When an employee finds the item at that location, the employee records it in the system. After identification, RETURN-LY contacts the owner and explains the available collection or shipping options. The owner does not communicate directly with the employee who recorded the item.
RETURN-LY does not:
The service must not be described as available across every airport, mall, hotel or transport network. Its role is limited to organising the search and recovery process where the platform has been activated.
Do not assume that the recovered card can automatically be used after a replacement request has been submitted or completed.
Keep the recovered card secure and contact Civil Affairs or Absher support for the correct instruction based on the status of your replacement application. Do not carry both cards or attempt to use a document whose status is uncertain.
If another person finds the card, ask them to hand it to the responsible venue or competent authority rather than arranging an unsafe private meeting.
The most serious mistake is delaying the official report because the card may still be found. The search and replacement procedures can run at the same time.
Avoid:
When dealing with a lost national ID in Saudi Arabia, report it through Absher promptly, request the replacement and continue searching through the responsible venue without delaying the official process.
Not always. A first loss reported within 15 days does not carry a loss fine. Repeated losses may result in fines of SAR 100, SAR 300 or SAR 1,000, while late reporting may also carry a SAR 100 fine under the Civil Status Law.